As part of the Air Force’s on-going effort to encourage a more diverse pool of applicants to pursue careers in aviation, the minimum height requirement for officer applicants who wish to fly has been removed as of May 13, 2020.

Out of 17 categories, only 17 can win an Annual Award trophy; much like any competition, the margins were tight and all nominees, as well as recipients, worked hard year-round to receive recognition for 2019 achievements.

In an effort to gain more insight into what attributes could best predict the success of pilot training candidates, Air Education and Training Command turned to the data analytics program at the University of Texas-San Antonio to help them refine and validate the Pilot Candidate Selection Method as part of an Educational Partnership Agreement.

Airmen at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, don’t just create the next generation of aviators for the world’s greatest Air Force; Columbus Airmen also help bolster international relationships by training partner nation pilots.

With the sounds of freedom and flying training as the backdrop, Maj. Gen. Craig D. Wills took the reins of the 19th Air Force from Maj. Gen. Patrick Doherty during a change of command ceremony at Hangar 4 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, June 13, 2019.

She grew up a horse loving and riding kid in Northern California and put her dream of riding professionally on hold when she enlisted and later commissioned into the Air Force. It wasn’t until 2013, while stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, that Maj. Andrea Matesick, now at Columbus AFB, Mississippi, would discover she could still be an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot in the world’s greatest Air Force and travel the United States competing in professional equestrian events.

When it comes to the mission of Columbus Air Force Base where we Cultivate Airmen, Create pilots and Connect, the priority of the 41st Flying Training Squadron, also known as the Flying Buzzsaws, is to create pilots, but they also contribute by cultivating innovative leaders.